• Alpine Switzerland
• Northern cities
• Suisse-Romande
• Ticino
ALPINE SWITZERLAND
South of Bern and Luzern lies the grand Alpine heart of Switzerland,
a massively impressive region of classic Swiss scenery - high peaks,
sheer valleys and cool lakes - that makes for great hiking and gentle
walking, not to mention world-class winter sports. The Bernese Oberland
is the most accessible and touristed area, but beyond this first great
wall of peaks is another even more daunting range in which the
Matterhorn , marking the Italian border, is star attraction, offering
skiing all summer long. The wild summits and remote valleys in the
southeastern corner of Switzerland shelter the world-famous mountain
resorts of Davos and St Moritz .
Note that very little happens in the low seasons of April-May and
October-November - shops and hotels may be shut, cable cars may be
closed for renovations, and smaller resorts may be virtually deserted
NORTHERN CITIES
Northern Switzerland , much of it known as the Schweizer Mittelland
- the populated countryside between the Jura to the north and the high
Alps to the south - is a region of gentle hills, lakes and some high
peaks, though ones by no means as grandiose as the heights further south.
There's a wealth of cultural and historical interest in the German-speaking
cities of Zürich , Basel , Luzern and the federal capital, Bern .
Wherever you base yourself, the mountains are never more than a couple
of hours away by train.
SUISSE-ROMANDE
French-speaking Switzerland, or Suisse-Romande , occupies the
western third of the country, comprising the shores of Lake Geneva and
the hills and lakes leading north almost to Basel. The ambience here is
thoroughly Gallic: historical animosity between Calvinist Geneva and
Catholic France has nowadays given way to a yearning on the part of most
francophone Swiss to abandon their bumpkin compatriots in the east and
embrace the EU. The short train-ride from the Swiss-German cities of the
Mittelland crosses more than just a linguistic boundary - it seems to
span a whole continent of attitude.
Geneva , at the southwestern tip of Lake Geneva (Lac Léman in French)
was once a haven for free-thinkers from all over Europe; now it's a city
of diplomats and big business. Halfway around the lake, Lausanne is full
of young people, an energetic, funky town acclaimed as the skateboarding
capital of Europe. Further east, the lakeshore is lined with vineyards
and opulent villas - Montreux is particularly chic - although you can
still taste the unspoilt paradise, evoked by the stunning medieval
Château de Chillon , which drew Byron and the Romantic poets and which
inspired Mary Shelley to write Frankenstein . Mont Blanc, Western
Europe's highest mountain (4807m), is visible from Geneva city centre,
while Montreux and neighbouring Vevey have breathtaking views across the
water to the French Alps. On a sunny day, the train ride around the
vineyard-rich northern shore is memorably scenic, but taking advantage
of the lake's excellent boat service (IR no discount; ER & SP free;
www.cgn.ch ) will help bring home the full grandeur of the setting.
TICINO
The Italian-speaking canton of Ticino ( Tessin in German and French;
www.tourism-ticino.ch ) occupies the balmy, lake-laced southern
foothills of the Alps. It's radically different from the rest of the
country in almost every way: culture, food, architecture, attitude and
driving style owe more to Milan than Zürich, and the glamour of the
place - its lushly wooded hills, azure lakes and date palms - often
seems to blind outsiders with romance. The German Swiss in particular
fall head over heels for the Latin paradise on their doorstep: it takes
just three hours from the grey streets of suburban Zürich to the
fragrant subtropical gardens of Lugano, and you'll find throughout the
canton that printed information tends to be in Italian and German,
sidelining English. Switzerland has controlled the area since the early
1500s, when it moved to secure the southern approaches of the St
Gotthard Pass against the dukes of Milan. It's a cruel irony that the
determinedly patriotic Ticinesi now suffer the country's highest
unemployment rates, even while the region's service industries thrive,
staffed by Italian guest-workers and paid for by thousands of Swiss-German
tourists and second-home-owners.
The main attractions are the lakeside resorts of Locarno and Lugano ,
where mountain scenery merges with the subtropical flora encouraged by
the warm climate. The area is also known for its old churches, many
containing medieval frescoes and most featuring huge external murals of
St Christopher, patron saint of travellers. Unless you approach from
Italy, there's only one train line in - through the 16km Gotthard Tunnel
. The track's spiralling contortions on the approach climb south of Lake
Luzern are famous: trains pass the onion-domed church at Wassen three
times, first far above you, then on a level, and finally far below,
before entering blackness at Göschenen and emerging at Airolo for the
descent to Ticino's capital, Bellinzona .
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